In 2025, a rumor circulated online that California Gov. Gavin Newsom laundered millions of dollars through his wife, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, by creating a state Office of the First Partner and funneling taxpayer money to it.
"Through shady budget allocations and backdoor deals, Newsom funneled over $5 million in taxpayer funds to bankroll Jennifer's pet projects, private ventures, and personal branding campaigns," one popular Facebook post claimed. "This was a fake government office, made up for his wife, to funnel millions to her. Funded by you."
Similar posts spread on platforms such as Facebook, X and LinkedIn. According to many of these posts, Siebel Newsom supposedly received a government salary from the office despite doing no work for it. Multiple Snopes readers also wrote in to ask whether
While Newsom did create an Office of the First Partner in 2019, with a roughly $1 million annual budget, there was no evidence as of this writing that the office funneled millions of dollars to his wife in any sort of money-laundering scheme or other type of fraud. In fact, public records showed Newsom's wife does not receive a government salary.
We have not rated this claim, however, because that would require an independent audit of the governor's office — although, for the record, the California State Auditor did not report any issues with the Office of the First Partner in its 2023 statewide financial audit, the most recent available as of this writing.
"Rumors suggesting financial impropriety of any kind are completely false and have no basis in evidence or fact," Holly Martinez, chief of staff of the Office of the First Partner, said in an emailed statement. "Like many spouses of state governors, Siebel Newsom has a staff within the larger Governor's Office, made up primarily of staff who manage portfolios of work benefitting the people of California."
The Office of the First Partner's webpage says it focuses on promoting gender equality and advocating for children and families.
Following the money
According to public budget documents, the Office of the First Partner has been allocated $7.22 million
For context, the entire state budget in the 2025-26 fiscal year was approximately $321 billion, and the governor's office, in total — including the Office of the First Partner — received $30.26 million.
Based on a records request to the Office of the Governor, all taxpayer funding for the Office of the First Partner paid salaries for government employees. The governor's office sent Snopes a list of seven staff positions with salary and benefits information. Annual salaries in the office as of this writing ranged from $72,120, paid to the scheduler and executive assistant, to $206,004, paid to the chief of staff. These positions also came with benefits such as health care and a telework stipend. The records request noted that Siebel Newsom did not receive a salary for her work at the Office of the First Partner.
The full records request is available below.
What does the Office of the First Partner do?
Much of the office's work appears to include partnerships with other offices and organizations to promote or launch various programming supported by the state.
For example, in 2019, the office partnered with the California State Parks Foundation to "expand park access for California's youth," ultimately culminating in a pilot program that waives park fees for fourth-graders and their families. The office also partnered with California State Library to launch an annual children's book club, which included investments in library programs to promote early literacy and summer reading.
Other efforts the office has undertaken included producing a report on recommendations for supporting sexual-assault survivors, promoting a campaign to close the gender pay gap and hosting a "Gender Equity Summit" on women's health issues.